Fun with Discussion & Grammar

Fun with Discussion & Grammar D.R. Ransdell

Although I always make a lesson plan the night before, half the time I change it while I’m riding my bike to class, and I often tweak my plan from one section to the next. Probably the most important thing is to have a set of “discussion tools” in your head. No matter how well you plan, you might have last-minute circumstances, equipment failure, etc. You might have to be flexible and change your schedule at the very last minute. And that’s okay. 

Discussion Methods:

Often I start with pairs or small groups. I might ask students to discuss something or find something or share something and then present to the larger group. Other days I start with a whole-class discussion. I try to get all the students to speak at least once even if I have to call on them. Often students resist raising their hands yet make insightful contributions when prompted.

1) Observation & Inference (alla Kara Reed)

2) Literary Elements by Group: I assign each group something to analyze such as setting, a

specific character, dialogue, etc., and then share findings.

3) I’m the Boss: I put a set of questions on the board for students to consider (or I might ask

them to write answers as a group)

4) They’re in Charge: in groups or on their own, students write questions to ask the class

5) Literary Detectives: I give the students questions on slips of paper. They ask their

classmates the questions, discuss the answers, exchange the slips, and keep going. (“Why

was the man who turned into a parrot so jealous?”) It’s a time-consuming activity, but a

good way for students to mix.

10) .. Incorporating Student Writing into Discussion:

Since I don’t want to be the only person who reads my students’ homework or in-class writing (especially since I’m skimming), I make sure to give them a chance to share whatever they’ve written.

11) Homework Review: On days the students bring in homework, I usually start class by asking them to read someone else’s homework and then discuss what they wrote in pairs. Otherwise I’ll ask them to offer one of their observations to the whole class as a way to start discussion.

12) In-class writing: Especially if the students had a long reading the night before, I’ll have them write something in class either via a freewrite or perhaps in response to a particular question or questions I give them. After they’re finished, I have them share their responses as above.

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Questions? [email protected] ransdell.faculty.arizona.edu But What about Grammar?!

Working grammar lessons into the writing classroom is a bit of a challenge. You might steal some time from workshop days. You might want to integrate grammar bit by bit along the way. At any rate, you want students to realize that Standard Written English will gain them credibility in college and beyond while mistakes might cost them points on their essays.

A lot of research says that grammar can’t be taught—at least, not to adult native speakers. This is and isn’t true. The trick is to make the grammar REAL to students, which usually means they have to see it in their own writing. Thus, I “teach” grammar in two ways:

1) I have students read through a couple of rules from Rules for Writers and make sentences that practice the rule. I tell them to use humor where possible; humorous sentences are easier to remember. Last semester my students had all kinds of fun with the subjunctive lesson “If I were you….” They wrote sentences such as, “If I were you, I’d let the students go home early.” Guess what!? We didn’t go home early, but they all remembered the phrase.

2) I review a couple of rules and ask students to look at a piece of writing they did for homework to see if they notice any of those same issues in their own work. Or I might ask them to find problems in their partner’s work. (I walk around to troubleshoot as they do this—students often overcorrect or miscorrect, but theoretically, it’s good exercise!)

Grammar sections I usually review:

Punctuation: 32A, 32B, 32C, 32E, 32F, 32H, 34A, 34B, 35A

Grammar: 21A, 21B, 21C, 21D, 21E, 21F, 24F, 24G, 27A, 27B

Mechanics 44, 45

Clarity: 9A, 9B, 12A, 12B, 16A, 16B, 16C, 17A, 17E

MLA, Citations, Works Cited: 57, 58A, 58B, 59A, 59B

I appreciate Rules for Writers because the rules are relatively well written and easy to follow. As reinforcement, I also give students a list of grammar rules I absolutely want them to observe. You might want to make up your own Grammar Highlights list—most of us have our own pet peeves. D.R.’s Grammar Highlights

When you make grammar mistakes, your readers may have to reread your sentence in order to understand it. That confuses them and makes them lose time. If you make enough mistakes, they’ll start to disagree with your opinions automatically! Instead, observe some simple rules to make your writing more effective.

1) Add a comma after a long introductory phrase: Even though it was long after midnight, I wrote three more drafts of my English essay. This comma helps your readers find the subject of your sentence.

2) Add a comma after a conjunction ONLY when the phrase that follows is an independent clause (a complete sentence). I thought I had enough time to write my essay, but I had to work until dawn to finish my work. (Note the difference: I thought I had enough time to write my essay but had to work until dawn to finish my work. No subject= no comma.)

3) Use commas around non-restrictive (unnecessary) clauses: My roommate, who never turns off her alarm clock, drives me crazy. The sentence could simply read “My roommate drives me crazy.” (If you have two roommates, the information becomes necessary so that you can explain which roommate is the sleepyhead: My roommate who never turns off her alarm clock drives me crazy. My other roommate never bothers to set one.)

4) Divide sentences with a semi-colon; use a comma after words such as “however.” We went to a terrific party last night; however, the food tasted awful.

5) Avoid run-ons. In other words, don’t run two sentences together your readers will be irritated. See what I mean? Run-ons are frustrating for readers because they assume they have misread and have to go back and reread your sentence only to find out that YOU are the one who made the mistake. Instead write: Don’t run two sentences together. Your readers will be irritated. If you want the sentences to work closely together, you might use a semi-colon instead: Don’t run two sentences together; your readers will be irritated.

6) Avoid fragments unless they are clearly used on purpose. A fragment is a word or phrase masquerading as a sentence but that is incomplete in some way. Bad idea? Once in a while it makes sense to use a fragment stylistically, but you have to be careful that it doesn’t seem like a mistake. For example, “Bad idea” isn’t a full sentence, but it demonstrates my example. 7) Avoid “number” mistakes. “Everyone” is singular. It is incorrect to write: Everyone should bring their syllabus. Instead make the phrase plural: Students should bring their syllabi. (You can also use the singular form, but it’s awkward: Everyone should bring his or her syllabus.)